The "Dirty Dozen" who supports Hun Sen's rule

Human Rights Watch said that Prime Minister Hun Sen and his ruling party, CPP, have long enjoyed the support of senior officials from the military, gendarmerie and police. The report claimed that this group of men helped eliminate all political opponents of the government and dissolve the main opposition party, making the next elections useless.

According to local media, the candidates in the national elections include Pol Saroeun, a four-star. General and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), who will run as a candidate in the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk, a region that has recently experienced a massive influx of Chinese investments.

Two More Four Stars Generals Meas Sophea and Kun Kim, both deputy chief commanders of the RCAF, will compete for seats in the provinces of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey respectively.

General Chey Son, Secretary-General of the National Chemical Weapons Authority of Cambodia, will be the third candidate in the province of Svay Rieng, while Lieutenant General Dy Vichea, Deputy Chief of the National Police and Son-in-law from Hun Sen, will serve the candidate to Svay Rieng

There are also many other candidates from the army and police who will be candidates for seats or who have been nominated as reserve candidates .

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (left) with Hun Manet, his West Point-trained son, who many believe are preparing for the July 29 election. Photo: AFP / Tang Chhin Sothy

The ruling party spokesman, Sok Eysan, told the Phnom Penh Post that the decision to appoint senior military and police officers had been made in the country's interest and the people. [CPP] wants to nominate candidates from all fields to serve the country and the people, "he told the newspaper, adding that all candidates had already quit their jobs and were no longer receiving salary from the job. State.

"Those who hold public or governmental positions may be designated as representative candidates only when they leave their jobs. It is the democracy inside the [CPP]. "

Despite having to temporarily hang up their uniforms, Hun Sen, who became one of the world's five oldest autocrats since the fall of Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, had a He raised one of 'Dirty Dozen' And promoted his eldest son and possible heir.

General Sao Sokha, former deputy commander of the ARC, took the leadership position of General Pol Saroeun, while Hun Manet was promoted to commander in deputy chief and acting commander of the infantry unit, replacing General Mes Sophea, another election candidate.General Sao Sokha and General Pol Saroeun are both members of Dirty Dozen

According to Ne Nee, a political analyst, the daily Phnom Penh Post thought it was a PCP strategy to strengthen military power

. " I guess it's part of the strategy to replace those old ones or vi them generals by those who could be sympathetic to Hun Manet in the ranks of the army, "Nee told the newspaper. "It might also be possible to have more army generals in parliament so that the structure of militarism can be extended to the National Assembly and, in this case, the army will have a certain power over parliamentarians. "

Army vehicles are seen along a street in Phnom Penh in Cambodia August 11, 2017. Photo: Reuters / Stringer

Sophal Ear, an associate professor of diplomacy and global affairs at Western College in Los Angeles, see the movements differently. "It's musical chairs.They need to taste the political power and have their military shoulder pads taken by the Prime Minister's family." Clearly, they are not put on the grass, less, not yet, "he told Asia Times

Human Rights Watch's 213-page report highlights 12 senior security officials in Cambodia, an abusive and authoritarian political regime. asserts that each of these officers owes his high and lucrative position to political and personal ties with Hun Sen dating back two decades or more.

The report also states that each of the dozens showed a willingness to enforce rights He added that men have served throughout their career in government jobs that have paid modest wages, but each of them has amassed unexplained wealth.

years, Hun Sen ac Reed and developed a core of security agents. "The importance of Cambodian generals has become even more apparent before the July elections, as they engage in crackdowns against journalists, political opponents," said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch.

Cambodian soldiers patrol a street in Phnom Penh after dispersing opposition protesters a day after police launched a deadly crackdown on workers in clothing, January 4, 2014 Photo: AFP / Tang Chhin Sothy

A very recent example of a military figure openly campaigning for Hun Sen arrived on June 28 when Defense Minister Tea Banh urged men in uniform to vote for the PPC. remind soldiers and their families to vote for the CPP. It will be easy [vote] to maintain peace and guarantee development. There are 20 political parties competing, so it will be easy to remember that the CPP is at the bottom [of the ballot]"local media said as they addressed the soldiers and the police. at an event in Battambang province Sam Kuntheamy, executive director of the Neutral and Neutral Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, told local media the next day that the National Elections Committee should take action against the minister to promote a particular party, which goes against the political neutrality of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

"The electoral law requires that the armed forces and their leaders be neutral … Use an event d & # 39; State to speak of a party in the elections is not fair, "he said.Members of the armed forces and the police can not promote political parties in uniform, has he added. 9659004] According to the Human Rights Watch report, each of the "Dirty Dozen" is a member of the CPC Central Committee. body. According to the rights group, this goes against international standards that protect the rights of security forces to be members of different political parties, to vote for whom they choose and to express their opinions in private [19659014]. the standards are different

Alan Parkhouse is a former editor of the Phnom Penh Post and the Khmer Times.

The complete Human Rights Watch report on the "Dirty Dozen" of Cambodia … can be found here

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